Joint Statement by Human Rights Activists and Boroumand Foundation: A Decade Record of Executions in Iran Has Been Broken

Human rights activists and the 'Abdulrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran', on the eve of the World Day Against the Death Penalty, issued a joint statement expressing concern over the increase in executions and announced that a decade record of executions in Iran has been broken. In this statement published on Tuesday, October 9, it was noted that at least 811 executions have been recorded by these organizations in the past year: 'In 2023, the Islamic Republic of Iran accounted for over 75% of all recorded executions globally, having executed at least 811 Iranians from October 2023 to October 2024, and with the execution of 23 women during this period, it has recorded the highest number of executions of women in the past decade.' The authors of this statement also expressed concern over the sharp increase in executions in Iran, stating: 'The widespread use of the death penalty in Iran not only constitutes a severe violation of the right to life but also reflects structural failures and corruption within the judicial system.' The human rights activists and the 'Abdulrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran' called on Iranian government officials to immediately halt the use of the death penalty in line with repeated requests from the United Nations and civil society organizations, and to rectify the structural deficiencies in the judicial system that lead to these severe human rights violations. They also emphasized that the international community must hold the Islamic Republic accountable, demand an immediate halt to executions in Iran, and support efforts to ensure that justice serves as a tool for protecting and upholding the fundamental rights of all individuals, rather than a tool for repression. October 10 has been designated as the World Day Against the Death Penalty. This day was first introduced and named in 2003 by the 'World Coalition Against the Death Penalty' to support the abolition of the death penalty and to raise awareness about the conditions of prisoners sentenced to death.